Inmates in Privately Run British Prisons Allowed to Wear Own Clothes to Boost Self-Esteem

Inmates at five privately-run British prisons are being allowed to wear their own clothing in a bid to boost their self-esteem.

The policy was introduced by G4S, a private security firm that runs five prisons in England and Wales, the Daily Mail reports.

The policy is designed to promote good behavior and help ease the transition from prison back into society, a spokesman for the company tells the paper.

“This is not only a proven method of recognizing sustained good conduct but part of normalizing life ahead of release,” he said.

But the policy has provoked outrage from the public and sparked fears among prison staffers that designer clothes will become a valuable commodity that will be used to pay for contraband such as drugs or alcohol.

“What about the self-esteem of their victims?” one commenter on the Daily Mail’s website asked. “When will this madness ever end?” asked another.

The wife of one inmate also questioned the wisdom of the policy. She said it puts a lot of pressure on inmates’ families to buy expensive name-brand clothing.

“It won’t be long before clothes are being traded or used as a status thing. It will be like a fashion parade,” she said.

The company spokesman defended the policy, saying it has never been a source of difficulty in any of its prisons.

But a spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said it has no plans to introduce the policy into publicly run prisons.